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Be Mindful In 7 Easy Steps
The next step in our happiness plan is to be mindful. As a reminder, our other steps are:
Be Mindful
Have you ever gotten into the shower, washed your hair, and then forgotten whether you washed it or not? Or, have you been talking with someone, and instead of listening, you were thinking about what to say next?
You, my friend, are on auto-pilot. You are not being mindful. This is not simply a symptom of modern life. More than 500 years ago, Leonardo da Vinci said that the average person,
“…looks without seeing, listens without hearing, touches without feeling, eats without tasting, moves without physical awareness, inhales without awareness of odor or fragrance, and talks without thinking.”
What is mindfulness? To be mindful, you must first be aware of what you are doing, to be always present with your current experience, but awareness is just the start.
Psychology Today tells us that,
Mindfulness is a state of active, open attention on the present. When you’re mindful, you observe your thoughts and feelings from a distance, without judging them good or bad. Instead of letting your life pass you by, mindfulness means living in the moment and awakening to experience.
Why should we be mindful? The list is extensive. According to Jay Dixit in an article from Psychology Today,
Mindfulness reduces stress, boosts immune functioning, reduces chronic pain, lowers blood pressure, and helps patients cope with cancer. By alleviating stress, spending a few minutes a day actively focusing on living in the moment reduces the risk of heart disease…Mindful people are happier, more exuberant, more empathetic, and more secure. They have higher self-esteem and are more accepting of their own weaknesses. Anchoring awareness in the here and now reduces the kinds of impulsivity and reactivity that underlie depression, binge eating, and attention problems.
Modern society intrudes on our ability to be mindful. At work, we think about being…
